The next boom in technology is already happening. But this time it’s not based on companies simply acquiring technology or improving software. And it’s not based on Silicon Valley software startups. This boom is driven by companies large and small, racing to keep up with the integration of technology into just about every commonplace interaction. And it’s all happening on a level that we have not seen before.

Wearable and handheld mobile devices have become ubiquitous in a very short period of time. This trend is combining cloud computing which has gone from being a fairly uncomfortable idea (storing data and software away from your desktop hardware) to being comfortable and commonplace even after some high level hacking scandals. These two trends bring up security concerns, but only to the extent that we want them solved. In other words, people will wear technology, store personal data on the cloud, but want it to be absolutely secure.

Wearable. Cloud-based. Secure. Here’s where this convergence of technology trends makes this boom different: in order to tie them all together across multiple industries, you need a huge amount of highly skilled people on the ground over a wide geography. Often on-demand. Healthcare facilities, retail environments, financial institutions, insurance companies, manufacturing facilities…these are all examples of industries that continue to have brick and mortar presence. To adopt and maintain technology in the midst of this convergence, they need focused teams with specific skills across huge geographies. And these teams need skills outside the organizations core competency. In fact, just identifying and acquiring the talent needed for these projects is outside their core competency.

Essentially, these companies need an army of people with very specific IT skills to work in both hardware and software implementation. And often these needs come with very short notice.

We’re seeing this change both in terms of the types of clients hiring Nesco Resource to find talent for these projects and in the volumes of projects being implemented. From the financial sector to retail to healthcare, nationwide teams are being deployed. Nesco Resource handles this national staffing both through a network of offices and through a centralized system of locating talent and matching them to projects as they arise. Only by evolving and utilizing technologies and techniques that make gig economy icons like Uber possible, staffing for these large scale, national IT projects is possible.

As we move into a world increasingly making its home in the cloud and wearable technologies takes us into virtual worlds, it’s ironic that very real people, with very real skills need to be on the ground to make it all happen. But irony is a whole other trend…

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By Grant Derner

Grant Derner is Executive Vice President at Nesco Resource. He oversees the Engineering and IT area for the Eastern half of the U.S.